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Crane on barge arrives to Central Whidbey anchor site

Crew with Anchor Ventures LLC, a group of men hoping to recover the long-lost anchor from the Captain George Vancouver expedition ship HMS Chatham, work June 9 in preparation of its recovery off Central Whidbey.

The crane arrived on a barge at about 1:30 p.m. Monday to the site of an anchor recovery off Central Whidbey Island.

Members of Anchor Ventures LLC, the group hoping to recover the long lost anchor from English explorer George Vancouver's trip into Puget Sound, had everything they needed to attempt to retrieve the sunken anchor off the Ledgewood beach area. They expect to have the anchor later today.

The crane will hoist the anchor within the next hour or two using a type of cradle that will support the aged relic.

Water conditions were near ideal with the surface smooth and glassy. Doug Monk, one of the members of the recovery group Anchor Ventures LLC and the man who found the anchor in 2008, said things below the surface were also good.

"It's very exciting," said Monk through a radio. "Everything is going perfectly so far."

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